Fabric laundry treatment composition

ABSTRACT

A fabric laundry treatment composition comprising: 
     a) a fluorocarbon polymer or a fluorocarbon copolymer or mixtures thereof; 
     b) a deposition aid comprising a cationic softening compound or a polymeric delivery aid or mixtures thereof; 
     with the proviso that when the deposition aid is solely a cationic fabric softening compounds the ratio of b):a) is greater than or equal to 2:3.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to fabric laundry treatment compositions.In particular the invention relates to fabric laundry treatmentcompositions that have excellent soil repellency properties.

BACKGROUND AND PRIOR ART

Soil release properties are generally imparted to fabrics by the use ofseparate soil-release agents, usually a high molecular weight polymer,in a detergent composition or separate treatment. For example in EP 0398 133 A (Procter & Gamble) there is disclosed a cationic polymericsoil release agent for use in a fabric conditioning composition.

EP-A-O,234,311 describes the use of insoluble polyfunctional quaternaryammonium compounds as soil collectors, to regenerate soil-ladendetergent solutions.

EP-A-O,309,052 describes the use of quaternary ammonium salts containingat least one ester linkage as softeners in shelf-stable andbiodegradable fabric softening compositions. The compositions alsoinclude a linear alkoxylated alcohol.

EP 0,506,312 (Unilever) discloses the use as a soil release agent, of aquaternary ammonium material comprising a compound having two C₁₂ -₁₈alkyl or alkenyl groups connected via an ester link to a hydrocarbonchain which is connected to the quaternary nitrogen atom.

Composition can be formed that exhibits excellent soil releaseproperties resulting from improved delivery of a fluorinated orpartially fluorinated soil release agent.

Additionally the formulations of the present invention can exhibitenhanced softening, perfume delivery, and give good antistaticproperties to fabric.

DEFINITION OF THE INVENTION

Thus according to one aspect of the invention there is provided a fabriclaundry treatment composition comprising:

a) a fluorocarbon polymer or a fluorocarbon copolymer or mixturesthereof;

b) a deposition aid comprising a cationic softening compound or apolymeric delivery aid or mixtures thereof;

with the proviso that when the deposition aid is solely a cationicfabric softening compounds the ratio of b):a) is greater than or equalto 2:3.

A further aspect of the invention provides a method of treating fabricsto provide them with soil repelling properties comprising the steps of:

i) adding the formulation described above to water;

ii) washing, or preferably rinsing, laundry in the resulting liquor;

iii) drying the laundry;

iv) ironing the laundry at a temperature above 150° C.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to fabric treatment compositionscomprising a deposition aid and fluoro-polymer and/or co-polymer, inwhich the deposition aid is selected from cationic fabric softeningcompounds or polymeric delivery aids or a combination of these two, withthe proviso that when the deposition aid is solely a cationic fabricsoftening compound the ratio of cationic fabric softening compound tofluoro-polymer and/or co-polymer is greater than or equal to 2:3preferably greater than or equal to 3:2, most preferably greater than3:1.

Particularly preferred fluorocarbon polymers are homo- and co-polymersof acrylates and methacrylates of fluorocarbon alcohols, particularlythose based on 1H,1H-perfluoroalkanol esters and1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluoroalkanol esters.

It is preferred if the fluorocarbon polymer/co-polymer is a homo- andco-polymers of the monomer:

    CH.sub.2 ═C(R) CO.O(CH.sub.2).sub.n Rf

where R is H or CH₃, n is 1 or 2, and Rf is a perfluoroalkyl residue,preferably C₂₋ C₁₈, more preferably C₆₋ C₁₂.

Preferably the fluorocarbon polymer is a perfluoroalkyl acryliccopolymer, further preferably a perfluoroalkyl methacrylic copolymer.

Preferably the fluorocarbon copolymer is a fluorinated substitutedurethane. It is also preferred if the flurocarbon polymer is afluorinated acrylic copolymer.

It is further preferred if the fluorocarbon polymer is present as acationic emulsion. An example of a particularly preferred polymerpresent as a cationic emulsion is Zonyl 6991 (trademark ex Du Pont)anacrylate polymer, having as a monomer unit the above formula, in whichR=H, and n=2.

It is advantageous in some instances if the cationic emulsion offluoropolymer further comprises a short chain carboxylic acid,

It is also preferable if the cationic emulsion of fluoropolymer furthercomprises a paraffin wax.

As described above it is preferable that if after treatment of laundrywith the fabric conditioner of the invention the laundry is heat treatedto cure the fluorocarbon polymer. This can be done either by tumbledrying the laundry or by ironing. If ironing is used it is preferred ifthe iron is hot (greater than 150° C.

The Deposition Aid

Suitable deposition aids include cationic fabric softening compounds andpolymeric delivery aids that are able to attach themselves to thefluorocarbon soil release agent and cause enhanced delivery to thefabric.

Suitable cationic fabric softening compounds are water insolublequaternary ammonium material comprising a polar head group and two alkylor alkenyl chains each having an average chain length equal to orgreater than C₁₂. When these materials are used as delivery aids theyare used at a ratio to the fluorocarbon material of greater than 2:3,preferably greater than 3:2.

Preferable fabric softening compounds of the invention have two longchain alkyl or alkenyl chains with an average chain length equal to orgreater than C₁₄. More preferably each chain has an average chain lengthequal or greater than C₁₆. Most preferably at least 50% of each longchain alkyl or alkenyl group has a chain length of C₁₈.

In one embodiment of the invention a preferred cationic softener isdistearyl dimethyl ammonium chloride.

It is preferred if the long chain alkyl or alkenyl groups of the fabricsoftening compound are predominantly linear.

Substantially insoluble fabric softening compounds in the context ofthis invention are defined as fabric softening compounds having asolubility less than 1×10⁻³ wt% in demineralised water at 20° C.Preferably the fabric softening compounds have a solubility less than1×10⁻⁴ Most preferably the fabric softening compounds have a solubilityat 20° C. in demineralised water from 1×10⁻⁸ to 1×10⁻⁶.

In one preferred embodiment the fabric softening compound is aquaternary ammonium material having two C₁₂₋₂₂ alkyl or alkenyl groupsconnected to the quaternary ammonium head group via at least one esterlink. It is more preferred if the quaternary ammonium material has twoester links present. The especially preferred ester-linked quaternaryammonium material for use in the invention can be represented by theformula: ##STR1## wherein each R¹ group is independently selected fromC₁₋₄ alkyl, hydroxyalkyl or C₂₋₄ alkenyl groups; and wherein each R²group is independently selected from C₈₋₂₈ alkyl or alkenyl groups;##STR2## n is an integer from 0-5.

Di(tallowyloxyethyl)dimethyl ammonium chloride, available from Hoechst,is especially preferred.

A second preferred type of quaternary ammonium material can berepresented by the formula: ##STR3## wherein R¹, n and R² are as definedabove.

It is advantageous for environmental reasons if the quaternary ammoniummaterial is biologically degradable.

Preferred materials of this class such as 1,2 bis[hardenedtallowoyloxy]-3-trimethylammonium propane chloride and their method ofpreparation are, for example, described in U.S. Pat. No. 4 137 180(Lever Brothers). Preferably these materials comprise small amounts ofthe corresponding monoester as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4 137 180 forexample 1-hardened tallowoyloxy-2-hydroxy-3-trimethylammonium propanechloride.

Prefered polymeric delivery aids for use with the invention include thecellulose ether derivatives described in GB-A-2266100 and other polymerscited therein and mentioned as being in earlier documents.

A second form of preferred polymeric delivery aids are cationicpolymers, for example cationic starch derivatives, cationic cellulosederivatives, guar gums (including those sold under the Trade name Jaguarby Rhone-Poulenc), quaternised protein derivatives, homo- andco-polymers of dimethyldiallylammonium chloride, and homo- andco-polymers of quaternised dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate.

Other preferred polymeric delivery aids are silicone derivativescontaining amine groups or cationic groups or a combination of the two.

Especially preferred formulations contain as delivery aid both cationicfabric softening compound and a polymer.

Composition pH

The compositions of the invention preferably have a pH of more than 1.5and less than 5.

Other Ingredients

The composition can also contain fatty acids, for example C₈ -C₂₄ alkylor alkenyl monocarboxylic acids, or polymeric carboxylic acids.Preferably saturated fatty acids are used, in particular, hardenedtallow C₁₆ -C₁₈ fatty acids.

The level of fatty acid material is preferably more than 0.01 by weight,more preferably more than 0.02% by weight. Especially preferred areconcentrates comprising from 0.05 to 10% by weight of fatty acid, morepreferably 0.1% to 10% by weight. The weight ratio of fabric softeningcompound to fatty acid material is preferably from 50:1 to 1:5preferably 40:1 to 4:1.

Compositions according to the present invention may contain detergencybuilders and/or anionic surfactants as desired. However it is especiallypreferred that the composition is substantially free of builders. It isalso preferred that the composition be substantially free of anionicsurfactant.

The composition can also contain one or more optional ingredients,selected from non-aqueous solvents, pH buffering agents, perfumes,perfume carriers, fluorescers, colorants, hydrotropes, antifoamingagents, antiredeposition agents, polymeric or other thickeners, enzymes,optical brightening agents, opacifiers, anti-shrinking agents,anti-wrinkle agents, anti-spotting agents, germicides, fungicides,anti-oxidants, anti-corrosion agents, drape imparting agents, antistaticagents and ironing aids.

Product Form

The product may be in any product form. Particularly preferred forms areliquid and solid compositions. Solid composition in this contextincludes compositions in the form of a tablet, a gel, a paste andpreferably granules or a powder.

The invention will now be illustrated by the following non-limitingexamples. In the examples all percentages are expressed by weight.

The following examples were prepared by mixing hot cationic softeningcompound with water followed by addition of Zonyl 6991 and addingconventional ingredients such as perfume.

    ______________________________________                                                       wt %                                                                          Example 1                                                                            Example 2                                               ______________________________________                                        DHTDMAC.sup.1    4.0      3.5                                                 Zonyl 6991.sup.2 3.0      4.0                                                 Formaldehyde     0.08     0.08                                                Perfume          0.25     0.25                                                Water and minors.sup.a                                                                         To 100%                                                      ______________________________________                                         .sup.1 Di (hardened tallow) dimethyl ammonium chloride                        .sup.2 25% active fluoropolymer (ex Du Pont). wt % values refer to the        material as received by Du Pont.                                              .sup.a minors associated with the raw materials present in all components     of the examples.                                                         

    ______________________________________                                                       wt %                                                                          Example 3                                                                            Example 4                                               ______________________________________                                        HT TMAPC.sup.3   2.0      --                                                  DEEDMAC.sup.4             2.0                                                 Zonyl 6991.sup.2 5.28     5.28                                                Water and minors.sup.a                                                                         to 100%  to 100%                                             ______________________________________                                    

The above Examples were used to treat laundry during the domesticrinsing of laundry. Laundry thus treated was then dried and ironed witha hot iron (temperature greater than 150° C.). Laundry thus treated wasboth soft and exhibited good soil repellency.

    ______________________________________                                                      wt %                                                                          A   B         C     D                                           ______________________________________                                        HT TMAPC.sup.3        2.0                                                     DEEDMAC.sup.4                       2                                         Zonyl 6991.sup.2                    5.28                                      Water and minors.sup.a                                                                        to 100%                                                       ______________________________________                                         HT TMAPC.sup.3 = 1,2 bis [hardened tallowoyloxy3-trimethylammonium propan     chloride                                                                      DEEDMAC.sup.4 = Di [2(hardened tallowoyloxyl)ethyl]dimethylammonium           chloride.                                                                     Wt % values for all softeners refer to the actual active concentrations i     the formulated products.                                                 

Soil Repellancy (1)

The soil repellancy of examples 3,4,A,B,C and D were compared in thefollowing test.

Water containing isopropanol (70:30) was used to represent aqueous-basedsoils, and olive oil containing 0.12% oil soluble dye was used torepresent oily soils.

40 g of pre-washed fabric squares (8 cm×8 cm, cotton sheeting and cottoninterlock) were treated with softener/fluoropolymer according to each ofthe above rinse conditioner Examples. This was done in tergotometer potsat ambient temperature, 70 rpm, liquor:cloth ratio 25:1, for 5 mins.Dosages used were 0.1 g/l softener and/or 0.066 g/l fluoropolymer. Afterline drying, the fabric squares were ironed using a plate temperature of210° C.

The soil repellancy of the treated fabrics were calculated by accuratelyweighing the amount of the soil removable from the fabrics followingsaturation with soil (water/IPA or olive oil/dye) and removal ofnon-absorbed soil by paper tissue pressed onto the fabric by a 1 kgweight for 5 seconds.

    ______________________________________                                        RESULTS                                                                                Soil Repellancy (%)                                                           Water/IPA        Olive Oil                                           Formulation                                                                              sheeting                                                                              interlock  sheeting                                                                            interlock                                 ______________________________________                                        3          60.5    75.9       59.8  90.5                                      4          49.6    61.5       69.3  90.5                                      A          12.3    7.9        50.4  33.8                                      B          36.4    16.7       50.4  40.9                                      C          14.5    10.1       31.4  7.8                                       D          32.0    17.6       50.4  38.5                                      ______________________________________                                    

It is clear from these results that the formulations of the inventionhave clearly superior repellancy to both water- and oil-based soils.

Softening Performance

Formulations 3 and B were used to treat cotton terry towelling under thesame conditions as used for the above soil repellancy test. Afterdrying, the softness of the treated towelling was assessed by an expertpanel. The scores below represent softness vs. standards; with standard2 representing extremely soft fabric and standard 8 representingextremely harsh fabric.

    ______________________________________                                        RESULTS                                                                       Formulation Softness score (vs. standards)                                    ______________________________________                                        3           3                                                                 B           3.5                                                               ______________________________________                                    

Both formulations gave good softening and the difference between the twowas not found to be significant. This result shows that formulations ofthe present invention have good softening performance as well assuperior soil repellancy, surprisingly, the superior soil repellancycharacteristics have not been counteractive towards the softeningcharacteristics of the formulations of the present invention.

The following examples were prepared by mixing hot cationic softeningcompound with water followed by addition of active fluoropolymer. Insome examples, fatty acid material was added and in others conventionalingredients such as perfume.

    ______________________________________                                               wt %                                                                          5*   6*     7*     8*   9    10*  11*  12*                             ______________________________________                                        HT TMAPC.sup.3                                                                         4.3    4.5    10.0 11.5 5    7.55 8.7  12.7                          ZONYL 6991.sup.2                                                                       11.2   6.0    26.3 15.1      43.2 34.8 5.2                           ZONYL 8300.sup.5                 26                                           Perfume  0.28   0.3    0.66 0.76      0.9  0.9  0.9                           Water and                                                                              up to 100%                                                           minors.sup.a                                                                  ______________________________________                                         .sup.5 18% active fluoropolymer (ex Du Pont). Wt % values refer to the        material as received from Du Pont.                                            *Examples 5-8 and 10-12 incorporate quaternary ammonium material which is     partially substituted by a hardened tallow fatty acid, at a ratio             quaternary ammonium: fatty acid, 6:1.                                    

    ______________________________________                                                wt %                                                                          13    14      15     16   17   18   E                                 ______________________________________                                        HT TMAPC.sup.3            5    5    5    5    5                               DEEDMAC.sup.4                                                                           9.0     13.4                                                        ZONYL 6991.sup.2                                                                        36.0    5.2                                                         GERMUL F321.sup.6         20                                                  GERMUL F503.sup.7              15                                             FC - 3546.sup.8                     15                                        FC - 248.sup.9                           15                                   Perfume   0.9     0.9                                                         Water and up to 100%                                                          minors.sup.a                                                                  ______________________________________                                         .sup.6 Fluorinated acrylic copolymer, supplied by Elf Atochem. wt % value     refers to the material as sold by Elf Atochem, the fluoropolymer content      being 20%.                                                                    .sup.7 Fluorinated acrylic copolymer, supplied by Elf Atochem. Wt % value     refers to the material as sold by Elf Atochem, the fluoropolymer content      being 20%.                                                                    .sup.8 Cationic fluoropolymer emulsion mixture supplied by 3M, comprising     fluorochemical adipate, urethane and acrylate. Wt % value refers to the       material as sold by 3M, the fluoropolymer content being 29.5%.                .sup.9 Nonionic fluoropolymer resin, supplied by 3M. Wt % value refers to     the material as sold by 3M, the fluoropolymer content being ca. 30%.     

Soil Repellance (2)

The soil repellancy of examples E and 9 were compared in the followingtest (a slight modification of the one previously described).

Water containing isopropanol (70:30) was used to represent aqueous-basedsoils, and olive oil was used to represent oily soils.

15 g of pre-washed fabric squares (8 cm×8 cm, cotton sheeting) weretreated with softener/fluoropolymer according to each of the above rinseconditioner Examples. This was done in tergotometer pots at ambienttemperature, 70 rpm, liquor:cloth ratio 67:1, for 5 mins. Dosages usedgave 0.0375 g/l softener plus 0.035 g/l fluoropolymer (Zonyl 8300).After treatment the fabrics were left to line dry, ironed at 210° C. andthen soil repellancy was determined as before.

    ______________________________________                                        RESULTS                                                                                    Soil Repellancy (%)                                              Formulation    Water/IPA                                                                              Olive Oil                                             ______________________________________                                        E              45.4     57.2                                                  9              81.6     84.6                                                  ______________________________________                                    

It is again clear from these results that the formulations of theinvention have clearly superior repellancy to both water-based andoil-based soils.

Soil Repellancy (3)

The soil repellancy of treatments E and 15-18 were compared in a similartest to the above, but with dosages such that softener was present at0.5 g per 100 g fabric. Superior stain repellancy is again evident.

    ______________________________________                                        RESULTS                                                                                    Soil Repellancy (%)                                              Formulation    Water/IPA                                                                              Olive Oil                                             ______________________________________                                        E              37.1     53.5                                                  15             83.8     97.9                                                  16             100      100                                                   17             100      100                                                   18             53.3     68.3                                                  ______________________________________                                    

Crease Angle Recovery (CRA) Example

Fabric pieces (5×5 cm×2 cm) were treated as for the soil repellanytests. Dosages used: 0.25 g softener per 100 g fabric and 0.132 gfluoropolymer (when present) per 100 g fabric. After ironing, thefabrics were left to equilibrate for 24 hours under conditions ofcontrolled temperature and humidity (20° C., 65% RH), prior tomeasurement of weft crease angle recovery according to a method based onBS 3086 (1972).

Treatments

A water control (demin. water)

B softener control (HT TMAPC³)

19 HT TMAPC³ plus Zonyl 8300⁵

20 HT TMAPC³ plus Zonyl 8300⁵ (two applications)

(Softener: Fluoropolymer ratio of 19/20 is 5.7:3).

    ______________________________________                                        RESULTS                                                                       Example      CRA (s.d.) - degrees                                             ______________________________________                                        A            73.6 (2.0)                                                       B            70.4 (3.1)                                                       19           82.3 (1.2)                                                       20           84.2 (4.7)                                                       ______________________________________                                    

The improved crease recovery of the fabrics treated with theformulations according to the invention is very clear.

Further Examples:

    ______________________________________                                                          Wt %                                                                          F   21                                                      ______________________________________                                        HTTMAPC.sup.3             5                                                   Zonyl 7910.sup.10   20    20                                                  Water and minors.sup.a                                                                            up to 100%                                                ______________________________________                                         .sup.10 33% active fluoropolymer content, of a fluorinated substituted        urethane (ex Du Pont).                                                   

Further perfluoroalkyl methacrylic copolymers and fluorinatedsubstituted urethanes (e.g. Zonyl 8110, ex Du Pont) are available foruse within the scope of this invention.

Soil Repellancy (4)

The soil repellancy of treatments F and 21 were compared as before,using the following conditions.

10.5 g of pre-washed fabric squares (8 cm×8 cm, cotton sheeting) weretreated with softener/fluoropolymer according to each of the above rinseconditioner Examples. This was done in tergotometer pots at ambienttemperature, 60 rpm, liquor:cloth ratio 24:1, for 5 mins. Dosages usedgave 0.25g softener per 100 g fabric plus 0.33 g fluoropolymer (Zonyl7910), when present. After treatment the fabrics were left to line dry,half were ironed at 210° C., and then soil repellancy was determined asbefore.

    ______________________________________                                        RESULTS                                                                                Soil Repellancy (%)                                                           Water/IPA        Olive Oil                                           Formulation                                                                              Ironed  Not Ironed Ironed                                                                              Not Ironed                                ______________________________________                                        F          33.1    39.1       42.9  51.4                                      21         47.3    53.3       78.9  83.1                                      ______________________________________                                    

The benefit for the formulation of the invention is clear; both with andwithout post-treatment ironing.

Further examples according to the invention were prepared by addingperfume and commercial fluoropolymer dispersion to pre-formed softenerdispersions at ambient temperature with gentle stirring controlformulations were prepared by adding perfume and demineralised water tothe base softener disperion to give the same softener concentration asthe corresponding fluorocarbon formulation.

    ______________________________________                                                Wt %                                                                          Ex22   Ex23   G         H    I                                        ______________________________________                                        DHTMAC.sup.1                                                                            4.0      4.9    4.0     4.9  4.3                                    Zonyl8110.sup.12                                                                        20.4     2.5                                                        Perfume   0.15     0.15   0.15    0.15 0.15                                   Water and up to 100%                                                          Minors.sup.a                                                                  ______________________________________                                         .sup.12 fluorinated substituted urethane contains 19.5% fluropolymer as       sold by DuPont.                                                          

Further examples were prepared by mixing the softener, fluorocarbon andwater at 70° C. for ten minutes, with addition of perfume after cooling.

    ______________________________________                                                   Wt %                                                                          24   25         K      L                                           ______________________________________                                        DHTDMAC.sup.1                                                                              4.0    4.9        4.0  4.9                                       Zonyl 8110.sup.12                                                                          20.4   2.5                                                       Perfume      0.15   0.15       0.15 0.15                                      Water and    up to 100%                                                       minors                                                                        ______________________________________                                    

Viscosity Data

The fluorocarbon polymers are able to `flatten out` the viscosity vs.shear rate profiles for the above dispersions --i.e. make them lessshear thinning and hence somewhat more Newtonian in behaviour. Sometimesthis can result in a lower viscosity for the sample, particularly at lowshear (eg. 20 s-1), which can equate to improved ease of pouring. Thedata presented below illustrate these effects. The drop in viscosity ongoing from 20 s-1 to 106 s-1 can be taken as an indication of extent ofshear thinning.

    ______________________________________                                                Viscosity (mPa.s)*                                                                       drop on going from 20                                                         s-1 to 106 s-1                                                                with                                                               at 20 s-1        fluoro-                                              Pair      with f/c                                                                              control    carbon                                                                              control                                    ______________________________________                                        22 and G  27.9    652.1      11.5  460.6                                      23 and H  293.3   2246       176.6 1805                                       24 and K  39.7    1092       25.2  837.5                                      25 and L  274     1692       164.1 1364                                       ______________________________________                                         *Viscosities were measured on a Haake RV20 rotoviscometer using the NV cu     and bob.                                                                      Values quoted are average readings over 2 mins.                          

We claim:
 1. A fabric softening composition comprising:a) a fluorocarbonpolymer which is a homo- or co-polymer of the monomer:

    CH.sub.2 ═C(R) CO.O(CH.sub.2).sub.n Rf

in which R is H or CH₃, n is 1 or 2, and Rf is a perfluoroalkyl residue,or said fluorocarbon polymer is a fluorinated substituted urethane or afluorinated acrylic co-polymer; and b) a deposition aid comprising aquartemary ammonium-cationic softening compound having two C₁₂₋₂₂ alkylor alkenyl groups connected to the quaternary ammonium via at least oneester link;with the proviso that the ratio of b):a) is greater than orequal to 2:3.
 2. A fabric softening composition according to claim 1 inwhich the weight ratio of cationic fabric softening compound tofluorocarbon polymer is at least 3:1.
 3. A fabric softening compositionaccording to claim 1 in which the fluorocarbon polymer is a copolymer.4. A fabric softening composition according to claim 1 in which thefluorocarbon polymer is present as a cationic emulsion.
 5. A fabricsoftening composition according to claim 1 in which the fabric softeningcompound has a solubility of less than 1×10³¹ 3 Wt % in demineralisedwater at 22° C.
 6. A method of treating fabrics to provide them withsoil repelling properties comprising the steps of:i) adding theformulation according to claim 1 to water; ii) adding laundry to theresulting liquor; iii) drying the laundry; iv) ironing the laundry at atemperature above 150° C.
 7. A method of improving the crease recoveryof fabrics comprising:a) providing a fabric softening compositioncomprising:i) a fluorocarbon polymer which is a homo- or co-polymer ofthe monomer:

    CH.sub.2 ═C(R) CO.O(CH.sub.2).sub.n Rf

in which R is H or CH₃, n is 1 or 2, and Rf is a perfluoroalkyl residue,or said fluorocarbon polymer is a fluorinated substituted urethane or afluorinated acrylic co-polymer; and ii) a deposition aid comprising aquaterary ammonium cationic softening compound having two C₁₂₋₂₂ alkylor alkenyl groups connected to the quaternary ammonium via at least oneester link;with the proviso that the ratio of ii):ii) is greater than orequal to 2:3; and b) treating fabric with the fabric softeningcomposition.
 8. A fabric softening composition according to claim 1,wherein the deposition aid further comprises cellulose etherderivatives.
 9. A fabric softening composition according to claim 1further comprising a perfume.